


Runaway (Uncensored)

by Anonymous



Category: Gloomverse (Webcomic)
Genre: Canon Non-Binary Character, Clermont has a strict no scarring tourists policy, Dubious Consent, Green thinks their kink is kinkshaming but they're wrong they're just mean, Other, Power Imbalance, Stockholm Syndrome, Verbal Humiliation, it covers a lowkey plot hole too, oh what a tragedy there is only one bed, so this is what you may have been spared from in the comic, there is mild bondage involved, this is technically canon compliant, who knows...
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:15:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22078312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: How did Xela know Green's name?
Relationships: Green (Gloomverse)/ Xela (Gloomverse)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 12
Collections: Anonymous





	Runaway (Uncensored)

**Author's Note:**

> Title inspired from Avril Lavigne's song, [Runaway](https://youtu.be/0BhburxrPVo).
> 
> There was a metaphorical coin flip and a literal private joke involved, so Green's amab and Xela's afab here.

Walking home alone at night, was definitely the worst idea Xela had had in a while. 

The cold bit their extremities with voracity. Even if they were used to the weather, they usually didn't go home this late, when it was this cold. As a result...

They weren’t focused, and spotted the figure at the last moment, when they couldn't pretend not to have seen them.

Of course, they took an instinctive step back.

"Shh."

What? Xela tried to scream— but Green leapt at them and whipped a paintbrush-like wand out faster than Xela could alert any neighbors. They didn't know where the paint had come from, just that when it suddenly manifested out of thin air, it solidified to restrain their limbs and gag them. 

"I said shut up."

They fell harshly onto the road. One of their arms was tied against their chest, and the other was restrained against their side— what kind of bindings were those? They’d never seen anything like it— any  _ creature _ like the one that was now hovering over them. 

A creature who was also smiling. 

Xela was vaguely dizzy from their fall, but not enough to not feel their heart pound against their ears. This… This wasn’t an Inversian. This couldn’t be… an untainted human being. No way... A magician. This was a magician.

The smile didn’t  _ look _ threatening. Smiles had always been a rare treat, for private moments...

Xela’s heart was too loud. Inexplicably, the smile was terrifying. Perhaps because of how out of place it was. 

They were closer to Xela’s face now, and despite the combination of the night and dark lenses Xela could see the strangers’ features better. The most grotesque thing about them, really, wasn’t the leaflife hair or the chilling attitude— it was the lack of contrast of their clothes and body. Made them hard to see...

Hard to define. Something Inverse hated more than anything else. 

Green opened their mouth, leaning over Xela, but the loud screech of sirens cut them off, startling both of them.

Xela tried to move, but the paint had solidified into something they couldn’t break. Instead of freeing themself they were pulled upwards by Green, who effortlessly heaved them over their shoulder.

“Sorry. I can’t let myself be caught because of you.” 

Green took them on the incredibly long journey of walking over to the shadow of a nearby tree. Xela had momentarily given up fighting physically, considering how unfruitful trying to break the binds had been so far— but being carried in such an undignified way stung.

Green dipped into the low foliage, barely disturbing snow like it was a practiced motion. They sat with their legs crossed and dropped Xela in front of them, making sure to hold the Inversian firmly in place with their arms on top of the paint bindings. They were even more restrained than before, and could only stare ahead as the sirens approached, squinting to pick up on the telltale blinding light. 

“Now hush. We wait.” Green’s calm tone hadn’t wavered. 

The sirens were getting closer, the vehicle slow and deliberate to chase off anyone who could possibly be out of place. But they wouldn’t spot them like this… There had to be something Xela could do to alert the police about their kidnapper... 

They could yell.

They strained against the gag; all they could actually manage, though, was taste paint. Which was a taste they wanted to get rid of sooner rather than later. They clutched at the gag with their closest arm, trying to pull it off, trying to get the taste out of their mouth, but it proved useless. They could barely stretch enough to reach, and when their finger touched the now solid gag, it melted— just the surface, as if to taunt them. 

“Stay put,” Green chided. “I can’t let you go just yet, but keep quiet and I’ll drop you off somewhere.”

Drop them off...

Xela, all their life, had scrupulously followed the rules given to them. It was only natural, after all, when they were one little cog in the machine. 

What would happen if Green let them go? If  _ they _ let Green leave? They’d go back to their old job as usual? Just one excruciatingly mind-numbing day after another. 

Did they want to go back?

Xela’s voice reacted faster than their mind, as if to stop the thought.

“Mffff!”

Xela yelled into the gag with all their might. It did its job best it could— the scream was nearly inaudible, for anyone, except Green.

For a moment the corners of Green’s mouth dropped, seemingly along with the temperature, because Xela felt a shiver up their spine… then Green smiled again. It was just the same as before— relaxed and carefree. But there was something about their eyes. Something that made Xela’s blood grow even colder.

They had made a mistake.

“Fine. If you want to be like that.”

Xela’s bonds immediately tightened. Instinctively, they fought against them, trying to… break them? Loosen them? Danger made their heart pound like it never had before. All their life had been controlled, tuned to be a clock ticking until the day it may be decided that they die— and this, being this out of bounds, this was absolutely terrifying. This could only be fear, and nothing else. They had to make it stop. So they trashed, desperate, something, anything, just to make it  **stop—**

The sirens were getting closer and closer. Their maddened mind thought it was hope. 

They didn’t trash around for very long— Green wrestled them into immobility. They were taller, and Xela was already restrained, so it wasn’t that hard. 

“I said stay put!” Green’s hissed whisper actually sounded upset. Which they better be. Because they were going to be arrested. Finally Xela’s prison planning would feel justified.

The sirens, the sirens sang every so close—

—and the moment passed.

To Xela’s despair, they came and went without even slowing next to their location. The bright blue lights, their only beacon of hope, faded into the night. Xela stopped struggling. They felt… empty. What was going to happen to them…?

“...well. Now I can’t trust you to keep your mouth shut about me, can I?” That was said with a sigh, and Green’s wand was used to poke Xela’s nose. Of course, Xela could only answer with a frustrated growl.

Green’s hands didn’t move yet, likely waiting to make sure that there was no second patrol following. That was clever. Annoyingly so. 

...Xela’s panicked breathing progressively slowed. Panic wouldn’t help. Never did. They were going to be okay, they were going to be okay, they were… they were… 

They weren’t as cold as before, at least. Their fingers had been slowly giving in to frostbite before they were kidnapped, but now that they were grappled they felt a little warmer. Of course, this was due to the heat transfer between them, though it was hindered by clothes. Xela may not be accustomed to physical contact— they were an unmarried young adult after all, it would be more surprising if they were— but they knew that much. Physical contact was a good way to stave off the cold. 

...it was therefore a completely natural reaction not to find it detestable. If they shifted to let their shoulders rest more comfortably against Green’s chest, it was purely because their cold body instinctively sought warmth, and not for any kind of physical comfort whatsoever in this terrifying situation. Nothing other than fear made their heart race now that the situation was settling and they weren’t dead yet, and the cold was the sole perpetrator of the blue flush of their cheeks.

...silence. 

...what was their kidnapper going to do with them? Terrible fates crossed their minds, but few aligned with the way they were held rather than immediately brutally killed. Or maybe… maybe Green was just waiting for the all clear to kill them. That… was enough to get the fear going again, and they hunched further into themself. An anxious whimper escaped their throat. 

“Shhhh.”

Xela looked up just quick enough to catch an odd glint in Green’s eye before they shifted their arms and legs again. They pushed and pulled Xela’s body like a helpless comfort object until they were huddled in a suspiciously comfortable position across Green’s lap. Almost like Green  _ cared _ about this kind of thing. Did they? 

No, no! This was a kidnapping. Had Xela really let their guard down that much? The intruder must be attempting to get inside their head. That rascal  _ knew  _ they were cold. They probably meant for this to happen—

“Hm, my hands aren’t cold anymore,” Green observed. “You’re quite warm.” Were they messing with Xela’s head? Or was Xela doing it to themself? They couldn’t tell anymore.

Green shifted around again. What? Were they changing locations? No… No, Green’s legs didn’t move. They were grabbing something from inside their coat—

The Inversian’s blood froze over once more. Green had taken out their wand again. 

Xela tried to jerk their head back as far as they could, but Green’s deadly paintbrush moved closer. “Don’t struggle,” they hushed like it mattered. 

...the bonds were too strong anyway. Xela stilled, resigned.

The paintbrush wand pressed against their throat. It felt identical to any other perfectly normal paintbrush, which was all the more unnerving. Xela squeezed their eyes shut, preparing for the worst. They’d annoyed the monster too much, they were going to be killed now… their body would be left somewhere in the snow to only be found in the warmer months, when it thawed—

But nothing came.

The brush moved gently up and down their throat, spreading a soft, ticklish sensation across skin, and causing Xela to cough against the gag— the paintbrush tipped their chin up towards Green’s face. 

“Why don’t you relax.” 

They were just being toyed with!

Xela grumbled under the gag, refusing to give in to the ticklish laughter building up in their throat.  _ Ridiculous.  _

Green stopped after a minute, likely getting bored, and glanced beyond the branches hiding them. They pocketed the brush again. “Hm. We can move, I think.”

Green momentarily set them down directly on the ground, where there was  _ snow _ and  _ cold _ and  _ wet  _ that almost made them regret the embrace. The bonds tightened to discourage any escape attempts, but they were learning their lesson. Force… wouldn’t work. The foreigner was taller than them, and clearly well-practiced. So instead Xela peeked out into the night, eyes darting back and forth for any witnesses or authorities. 

“Yeah. We’re good.” Green had also been looking, and came to the same disappointing conclusion.

Xela was picked up again, which they just accepted. There really wasn’t any point in trashing their way back to the ground just to freeze to death in paint bindings. Where was Green taking them..? 

The trek was much longer this time, and colder. The open street was windy enough to steal what warmth remained between captor and captive, and their little huddle in the snowy pine branches had drenched their coat. By the time they descended into a nondescript basement, Xela’s teeth were chattering. 

The basement was only marginally warmer than the outside, by virtue of not being as windy, and mostly bare. They spied a kitchen-like room off to the side, but they were being carried somewhere else. 

They didn’t recognize the room they’d been taken to right away— there were no signs of murder or torture tools, so it was anyone’s guess, really— not until they were actually set down on a soft surface. They lost their balance and fell backwards, to their kidnapper’s amusement.

Wait. Hold on. Soft surface?

A bed. This was a bedroom? They had so many questions and very few of them were inclined to reassure. Sadly, they could ask exactly none of them, because they were still gagged and tied. Also helplessly motionless on a mattress. 

Green’s hands went to their own drenched coat once their bag was set on the floor. They shook it off, placing it aside to dry along with their hat and scarf, then they took their shoes and wet socks off. That much was understandable. What was less understandable was that their focus went to Xela next— the kidnapper simply took hold of their wet scarf and hat, since the bindings were stuck to their coat, and then Green removed their damp footwear at well— but Xela felt embittered by their lack of agency.

They placed the clothes next to their own and turned back to Xela.

“Welcome to my hideout,” they said with a friendly smile. “Since you’ve seen it I can’t just let you go anymore, though.”

What?!

They didn’t ask to come here! This monster kidnapped them! All their life, they had stuck to the rules, demonstrated their talent, and worked in order to find a steady job to serve their country. And now they were trapped here, they were always trapped in despair for the heinous crime of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

It all felt so...unfair.

It all felt so…..hopeless.

And they weren’t even sure it was Green’s fault. 

Xela didn’t realize they were crying until the tears rolled down their cheeks, dissolving the paint ever so slightly _.  _ Their captor’s expression barely changed, though. They responded to the crisis with a single raised eyebrow, their head tilted. “Are you crying?” 

The voice wasn’t so cold. Not like if they’d heard it from another Inversian. No disgust. Just… 

Xela answered the question with a glare. Green held up their hands at chest level, trying to give a reassuring smile.

“Look, I’m not gonna kill you.” They approached, pulled out their wand again— and the gag started dissolving. “Don’t scream, or this is going back on,” was their stern warning.

...Xela didn’t scream this time. “Are you a—?”

“Boy? Girl? Nope,” Green interrupted, smiling. “Magician, yes. Moving on.” 

Uhhh… Alright. “Why did you bring me here then?”

Green shrugged, not a hint of tension in their body. “With the police so close it was either that, or letting you freeze to death outside so you can’t tell on me.”

They went on smiling.

“There was no way I could let you lead the authorities back to me, obviously. Still, I’ll let you go in the morning when I move out of here. If you can forget this ever happened.”

Let them go..? Right. Let them go… 

Xela nodded at their other bonds, then gave Green a pointed look. 

“Yeah, no. I can’t take those away yet. I don’t trust you not to make a break for it.”

...fair.

Green sat next to them, staring out into space, but Xela was still stuck on their back, and flailing their legs to get back upright would be embarrassing, so... they were looking at the weird foreigner upside down.

Their clothes were completely drenched, and while the windless basement wasn’t as bad as the outside, it was still too cold for comfort. Especially when half melted snow dedicated itself to stealing what little warmth their body could muster... At least this position let their back warm up a little. 

They were going to be okay. Green said they wouldn’t be killed. They just needed to stay calm and not anger them, just stay calm and complacent and they’d be free in the morning— 

In spite of this resolution Xela’s composure broke immediately, specifically when the foreigner pulled their shirt off. 

What what what wha— Xela wiggled, trying to move backwards and away from them. “W-What are you doing??”

“Being inside doesn’t help with hypothermia if your clothes are still trying to freeze you.”

An upsettingly logical explanation.

...so Xela was treated to an unfortunate closer look at the stranger. They didn’t seem embarrassed at all! 

They had fairly defined muscles on their………. arms. Unsurprising, considering how easily they had taken Xela down earlier. Still, they weren’t used to seeing someone...like this. They could even, with a little imagination, be considered attractive. Objectively speaking, of course. Of  _ course _ .

Their hair really looked like it was made of pale plants. Xela tried to concentrate on those mind boggling locks instead, but their eyes were drawn down—

“See something you like?”

Xela immediately flushed. “Y-You are being inappropriate.” They didn’t like how their teeth chattered every time they tried to speak, at all. 

Green shrugged. They appeared unbothered, as they folded their shirt and eyed a pile of blankets without a change in expression. Though, they were watching Xela carefully, with a calm intensity that was… not uncomfortable, exactly… but… 

“This is the warmest room down here and I can't afford to stay in wet clothes. Bear with it.”

Warmest??? Well it certainly didn’t feel warm! If they weren’t tied up, Xela would have tried to huddle in on themself, because they were freezing, actually.

“Are you cold too?” They looked a little bit bothered now,  _ good _ . “Hold still.”

Hold still? Wh—

Green’s hands were warm, but entirely too forward as their tugged Xela’s coat off. They were slipping under the bindings, in fact, unwilling to remove  _ those _ . But the damn hands were fine with soggy clothes?!

Green must’ve noticed that they bristled, because they made a little noise. But the hands didn’t quiet, working the buttons open instead. “Look. You live here. You know how fast hypothermia kills. Your teeth are chattering.”

Except Green was shirtless and radiating warmth,  _ somehow _ . “Hiding a body around here is a headache,” Green went on, and Xela chose to ignore that one in favor of protesting the forceful coat removal. 

“I could do it myself if you let me out of these!” they said, but Green smiled, calm as always, and kept at it until Xela’s coat was gone. 

They didn’t feel any dryer. Their shirt and pants were damp too… removing their wet coat didn’t do much. Even with the blankets… they would stay cold…

“Hm.” Seems like Green followed the same train of thought, fingering the edge of their button-up shirt. “That won’t do.”

“I’m fine.” If they were free, they would have crossed their arms.

“You're not. You’re drenched all the way through.”

Green made a move towards them, and Xela jerked back. There was _no_ _way_ they were letting them remove the rest of their clothes. “Stop—”

But to their surprise, Green’s arms wrapped  _ around  _ them instead, pulling them into a hug. As much as they hated to admit it, their warmth was radiant, soon traveling through Xela’s clothes and to the rest of their nearly frozen body. They stopped shivering...

“Wouldn’t this be better?” Green asked with a smile.

“I… yes…”

So Green withdrew. 

“Wait— Hey!”

“Hm?”

Green watched them with unwavering calm, patting the unused blankets absentmindedly. Like they didn’t know what they were doing. Like they weren’t leaving them to freeze so close to warmth.

What did they want?

The cold began biting again, and Xela resumed shivering. There was still no change in Green’s expression when they spoke again.

“Didn’t you want me to stop?”  _ Green was mocking them!  _

Xela’s teeth had already started chattering again. If living in Inverse had taught them anything, it was that their pride wasn’t worth death.

“....no.”

There was a glint in Green’s eyes.

“No..?”

The cold was quickly becoming unbearable once more. Xela looked away.

“Please help me stay warm...”

“Well, if you  _ insist _ .”

Green reached out and ruffled Xela’s hair, ruining their meticulously organized appropriate style. Then, they pulled Xela in their lap, eyeing the pile of blankets. They still couldn’t move with the bindings… they’d have to bear with it.

“Close enough?”

If anything, it was  _ too  _ close. Still, Green was doing an excellent job at heating things up, so they wouldn’t be freezing, at least.

Xela could bear it.

“Hm. One minute.”

After a moment Green set them down and walked a few feet away to start removing their pants.

Nevermind. Xela couldn’t bear it. “WHY?”

“They’re drenched. Should really get yours off too, actually. Your wet clothes make me cold.”

“Absolutely not.”

They didn’t miss a beat. “I brought you inside so I wouldn’t have to hide a body in the snow. Don’t make me change my mind.”

Green gave their trademark calm smile and innocently gestured to the blanket pile.

Xela wasn’t certain if it was the threat or the weather that caused their gut to freeze. Either way, they were resigned enough to give in.

“Can I at least take them off myself?”

Green seemed to think about it. 

“Nope. I don’t trust you.”

Xela growled, frustrated. They weren’t going to— to run away? Wait. Why not?

When did they—

The thought was interrupted by Green grabbing their pants. The early warning didn’t stop Xela from tensing up at the touch.

“Wait—”

Their cheeks were burning, though the rest of their body was still cold, so that didn’t help much. 

Green looked amused by their reaction. They pulled the damp piece of clothing off completely and set it to dry like the rest. 

If Xela had been untied, they would have covered themself with one of the blankets on the bed. This was so embarrassing. They had never been so exposed to someone, save during physical examinations. 

Green took one look at their tense expression and rolled their eyes. “I’ll turn the lights off, alright?”

The basement was suddenly plunged into almost-darkness— warm fingers touched their face. “Hey!”

“You’re not going to wear your glasses to bed anyway.” Green slid them off Xela’s nose, which made them feel more naked than removing the rest of their clothes had. At least the light was low enough that Green’s body was only a blue-tinted gray outline against the wall, solely illuminated by what seemed to be an old emergency exit sign. 

“Now for the hard part.” Before Xela could blink, Green climbed onto the mattress, right over their body, and sat on their middle.

Xela was now pinned on their back. Their blush intensified. “wHAT ARE YOU—”

“Shh.” Green put a warm finger on their freezing lips. “I can still throw you out.” That damn smile. 

Xela’s mouth clamped shut.

Green’s hands slipped under the bindings over their chest. It was to open Xela’s shirt buttons, of course, but the result was that Green’s hands were pressed against their body through the fabric. It was oddly intimate, and didn’t help their embarrassment at all.

Green was so close now...

Something inside Xela wanted them to be closer. 

For warmth? Partially, but they couldn’t deny there was something else too.

They had heard about situations like this before. People desperate in hostage situations turning to their captor for comfort. It was seen all too often in the prisons as a cause for execution, much too troublesome to deal with. 

Then again, the exact opposite was occasionally true.

Was it just their imagination when their captor kept their hands on their chest just a  _ little  _ longer than necessary? Was their face hovering just a little  _ too  _ close to theirs? In a bodily betrayal of their mind, Xela’s blush grew deeper.

Maybe those hands would stray a little off from the center of their chest. Brush against the skin there, maybe more than that. Maybe Green would lower their face to—

Xela shut down the gay thoughts before they could get any farther into detail, fairly certain they looked like a blueberry now. Their mind, too, was a traitor...

Green hands ran down their stomach to undo the last of the buttons, slowly revealing Xela’s chest. Uh. This was both too fast for them, and too  _ slow _ . Unbearable. They tried to close their eyes to ignore Green, but it made the touches much… worse, somehow, so they quickly reopened them.

They didn’t even notice the bindings had come off. But they must have disappeared at some point, because Green tugged Xela’s sleeves off their now free arms. Right. That was why their weight was on them. So they could be untied without risking an escape. 

Green grabbed the back of Xela’s neck and yanked them upwards, against their chest, to retrieve the article of clothing as it finally came off them. “Those button-ups are such a bother,” they complained, but Xela was pressed against their chest and didn’t really… hear.

They’d rarely been this physically close to anyone at all. What they found most overwhelming wasn’t the lowlight sight, though; it was the smell, something discrete but reminiscent of old trees (moss?) mixed in with a much stronger, well— human smell. They’d always thought Magicians weren’t human anymore, but their hair and color aside, the smell and the sound of Green’s breathing all felt all too real, too… human. In an appallingly appealing way. 

Green let go of their neck and they fell backwards with an  _ oof _ , not hard enough to be dizzy but enough that they didn’t right away remember they weren’t wearing anything under the shirt that had just been removed. They scrambled to cover up with their now free arms a second too late.

They were imagining the darkening of Green’s cheeks, right? Inversian eyes were highly photosensitive, so they could see quite well in the dark, but their kidnapper was too cold to be attrac… affected, weren’t they?

Green didn’t move right away, watching Xela’s mostly naked form rather than putting away the damp shirt in their hands. Counting their freckles, perhaps, unless Green’s strange eyes just couldn’t see them well at all.

“Quit staring,” Xela growled. They may be in a slightly compromising position but they weren’t just going to let Green mess with their head! 

Green shook themself back to reality, but instead of getting off Xela, they just threw the shirt behind them. 

“Hey! It’s going to be all crumpl—” Green put their finger over Xela’s lips again. 

“Shut up.”

They shut up.

Green’s wand waved in the air, and new bindings formed out of thin air. Only then did Green actually move from above them to retrieve blankets…

Xela used the brief opportunity to crawl into a more comfortable angle on the mattress, though they were a bit confused on where Green was going to sleep. There weren’t any other beds around, and they didn’t seem like the type to just leave the bed to someone else and sleep on the floor.

They got their answer soon enough. Green wrapped the blanket around themself and climbed on next to Xela.

Xela wasn’t sure why they were surprised. It seemed they had broken every single social taboo in the past hour. It only became worse when Green pulled them into a spooning hug. For warmth, right?

…….sharing the bed. Yep. While huddling together. For warmth. Mostly naked. That was going to be a very real thing that was happening.  _ Yep. _

The worst was that it was actually working at warming them up again.Their front was still cold, mostly because Green wasn’t willing to share the blanket, but they were warmer. Just not warm enough. And since they were tied up… 

“Can you cover me with the blanket too?” Oh how they hated having to ask.

Green seemed surprised by the question.

“Mmmnope. Blanket’s pretty small, and I brought you here to warm  _ me. _ ”

“That was what convinced you not to leave me out in the snow?!” 

Green’s smile was audible in their voice. “Will you get mad if I say yes?”

They had full confidence that, were they facing Green, Xela’s murderous expression would make them reconsider. Unfortunately, their back was what was facing Green, who was holding them like a comfort object.

They didn’t insist. The inner sense of embarrassment hadn’t faded, but, it could be worse. They could be frozen to death in a snowbank, or tied up alone and cold in another room, or—

Green put a leg over Xela, causing them to let out a squeak.

Nevermind, they’d rather be dead.

It was awkward enough to feel Green’s bare skin on their back, and warm air against their neck— the leg over theirs just made it impossible to ignore. Every inch of touched skin tingled. 

This was just their fight-or-flight response. A reaction to a charged situation. Right…?

The tingling sensation began to spread through the rest of their body. Were they dying? They wanted to be closer. They must have hypothermia. They were going to die here. So why did they feel elated?

“Comfortable?” 

Xela didn’t have the necessary amount of non-internally-screaming brain matter to answer that coherently. Green took that as a no, however, and Xela was certain they were going to perish when Green’s arms slipped around their body for their hands to rest on Xela’s bare stomach. The hands were warm, their skin was not— that was why they welcomed it, right? Right? 

Green tugged them a little closer, almost under the small blanket with them, which drew another squeak from Xela. A squeak that was sounding a little less like a squeak and a little more like a noise they really shouldn’t be making. Could they have a stroke from excessive blushing? Please?

“Hmm.”

Green observed them curiously. Xela could barely tell, from the corner of their eye.

That was never good. They were going to do something. What were they—

Green’s fingers caressed their stomach, starting above their navel down to the edge of what little clothes they were still wearing.

That was  _ definitely  _ a noise they shouldn’t be making.

Green chuckled. And did it again. Xela tried to keep their mouth shut, grit their teeth, but it was quickly becoming unbearable… and the repressed sound that did manage to escape sounded even more forbidden.

“You like that, don’t you?” The voice was an amused hush. Green’s voice tickled their neck. As if it was trying to slip inside their head, which they realized now was working out pretty well. Xela noticed goosebumps rise where Green’s voice had been, proof of their weakness to the situation.

The goosebumps were almost enough to mask the next feeling on their neck— Green’s lips. Almost.

**What**

They shuddered. What what what— What was Green doing— They’d thrown aside personal space a while ago but— 

The lips left behind a tingling sensation, but the heat that spread through their limbs didn’t fade; it pooled in their belly instead. They should be glad they were warmer now. They really should. But they were hyperaware of every inch of Green’s skin they were touching— their back could map out Green’s chest and abdomen, and there were Green’s arms pressed against their sides, elbows just above Xela’s hips, and that damn leg that trapped theirs— Xela couldn't dare move. They were certain they’d regret another noise if they did. 

Green kissed their neck again, a little lower. Xela felt a shadow of teeth, and couldn’t hold the sound in this time. 

They felt the chuckle more than they heard it. It rocked Green’s body against them, adding insult to injury. 

“Wow. You’re really into that, uh.” Green’s voice whispered directly in their ear, lower than before. “Want to give me a reason to continue?”

“Maybe I want you to stop,” Xela murmured back— with less conviction than they would’ve liked. Green had snuck into their head, and they were starting to care less about that than the ways they were being touched.

“Do you?”

They were meant to say  _ yes _ ,  _ stop _ . They really were. They were meant to be horrified this whole thing was happening, that a magician of all things was touching them and holding them prisoner. But it didn’t feel any worse than being trapped by their everyday life; in fact, it was almost… it was better. At least… at least they could just let go of the horrible weight of their responsibilities. At least they were being held at all. At least they felt something besides crushing despair.

How long had they been feeling this way about their life..? 

“No.” The admission stung less than they thought it would. Like a heavy weight lifting from their shoulders. They could breathe a little deeper now. “Please… don’t stop,” they elaborated, but Green wasn’t so easy to convince. 

“Politeness is a fair attempt,” they noted, “but that’s not going to be enough.”

Green’s hands withdrew from their stomach. They moved away from Xela— was Green leaving? No... no. The hands ran up their back, all the way to Xela’s shoulders, and flipped them on their back— Green made sure to trap both of Xela’s legs between theirs, and the rest of the Inversian lied helplessly under them.

Green, who was hovering on their forearms now, leaned down. Their face was almost close enough for noses to touch. “Convince me to continue.” The plant-hair framed their face, blocking the faint light, but Green’s eyes seemed to gleam.

Xela closed theirs for a second, taking the time to steady their voice, and spoke only when they reopened them. “Shouldn’t you untie me then?”

“Nope.” Green smiled innocently. “Get creative before I get bored.”

Xela had never been trained to be  _ creative _ , though. In fact, being creative in a non productivity-related way was actively frowned upon. 

Then again, so would this whole… thing that was happening. They should stop thinking about what they were supposed to do. This was so far past what was acceptable behavior. Even if they made it home the next day…

What should they do instead? If there was no guideline? What they… just… wanted?

What did they want? They wanted… they… 

Their head rose to meet Green’s, straining their neck and shoulders to reach. Their lips barely touched before they collapsed back down, but Xela was quite certain a swarm of butterflies must have burst into their stomach between the time their lips met and the time they parted. 

Their breathing was too fast, their heartbeat too loud. Green must be hearing it hammering. This was a pathetic show, even if they were restrained. Even if they just didn’t… know, what they were supposed to do in these situations… 

Green tilted their head forward, much closer than before. Close enough that their breath tickled Xela’s lips. “Mmm. Interesting. Try that again.” 

Oh

They didn’t have to strain to reach, this time. It was a short kiss, they… really didn’t know what there were doing. When their head fell back, Green followed, falling just short of touching them.

“Mmm.” They couldn’t see Green’s expression when they were so close, but they could hear the smile in their voice. “Didn’t expect that from one of you.”

It was Green’s turn to meet their lips, a short brush at first, like Xela had done; but then they didn’t move away, instead pressing further into Xela. 

Green clearly knew what they were doing, a thought that caused Xela to flush momentarily in...embarrassment? Why did they feel disappointed in themself? It was nearly unheard of for an Inversian at their age to have experience in... _ this.  _ But the magician didn’t look too much older… was it different elsewhere…?

Xela was so distracted by their own thoughts, they almost didn’t notice when Green finally pulled away, despite the slight strain on their lungs. Green was just a little out of breath, too.

Something felt...different. Moving seemed easier.

They tested their bindings. They had...changed location, binding their wrists together now. The temporary elation of this revelation soon became outweighed by suspicion. Green wouldn’t do this out of kindness.

“Did you… change something…?” They managed to gasp out the question, self conscious about their shortness of breath. Green seemed to cope better.

Their answer was cheeky. “I could say this is to make sure you don’t escape, but there’s an additional reason.”

They pulled Xela up by their wrists. Xela’s legs stayed trapped underneath them, so they couldn’t wiggle out even if they wanted to—

A wave of Green’s wand tied Xela’s hands to the bedpost. 

They weren’t too uncomfortable, the position didn’t hurt their shoulders or arms, but it was…  _ vulnerable _ . Up until then they could at least keep their arms close for comfort, and now they couldn’t move any limb at all.

“Is that... necessary?” 

“I need to be able to touch you better for what comes next.”

What comes next…? What was coming next? Was it something Green expected a fight over??

Green poked their nose. “Shh. Relax and you’ll have a good time too.”

Reassuring! 

Green’s hand let go of the wand, and Xela’s wrists, to return to their stomach. They sat up and scooted backwards to… Xela assumed it was better access.

Green went back to caressing the sides of their stomach, drawing a surprised noise from Xela.The touch tingled like before, perhaps a little more— but so far Xela didn’t see anything new that would require what Green had done—

“Hmm.”

They seemed almost disappointed.

“How about—“

They ran their hands up, to the sides of their chest, then back down all the way along Xela’s thighs. There they slowly made their way inward. Instinctively, Xela squeaked and drew their legs together. 

“I told you to relax.” Their voice was stern and cold.

Xela closed their eyes and slowly let go of the tension in their body. Alright. Okay. Green… seemed to know what they were doing… They should listen, at least for now. 

Green’s weight came off their body for a moment, and they looked back up. To be fair, since they were tied to something now… they couldn't run away anymore.

“Spread your legs.” It was a command more than a request, but Xela went along with it, letting their thighs straddle Green’s. 

“Oh so you  _ can  _ listen.”

Well now Xela felt the urge to do something defiant! But it was quickly overtaken by the feeling of Green once again running their hand along the inside of their thigh. They made a strangled noise when Green got a little too close to their underwear.

“Aha. There we go.” They repeated the motion, agonizingly slow— watching them squirm with a smile. Clearly Green enjoyed tormenting them, and while they were a little mad, they really, really didn’t want it to stop. 

Green’s fingers brushed again their last piece of clothing, between their legs, and Xela made a noise they didn’t want to name. The sensation rolled through their body like a wave, embarrassing in its intensity.  _ Barely  _ anything had been done but…

Green did it again, seemingly delighted by their reaction, and this time Xela managed to repress the noise. Their organs were doing flips, but at least they could hold onto a shred of dignity.

Green’s hand withdrew. “I told you to be quiet earlier, but that kind of noise’s fine,” they mocked. Xela growled, cheeks burning once more. 

Green crawled up, keeping a knee between their legs, and kissed them again. Xela’s eyes closed reflexively, which felt kind of better than keeping them open actually. They were still figuring that whole thing out. 

...they became even more acutely aware of their inexperience when Green’s teeth touched their lower lip. They thought kisses were only about lips, but that sent sparks down their spine, so uh, they’d been wrong about that, clearly—

Green’s hand ruffled through their hair, but they couldn’t bring themself to care that it was going to be even more of a mess. Instead they cared that their body was burning in the best way, and when the hand slid down to coax their jaw open, Xela went along with it. 

Green voraciously deepened the kiss and Xela just… stopped thinking.

They were gasping for air when Green pulled away. They opened their eyes, craving to see what kind of expression Green was making. They wanted this elation to be shared, at least a little bit, even if Green was a magician, they must be feeling this, right..? 

Surprisingly, Green had mostly kept their composure, but they had the decency to be short on air as well. They smiled down at Xela, lips glistening. Kissed them again.

Green waited until the moment Xela believed they would suffocate to finally sit back up. They heaved and gasped for air, helpless.

“Let’s try something else,” they smiled. Xela was a little too dazed to question it, but they didn’t really understand until they felt Green’s lips on their jaw. 

Oh, that..? That was pretty nice. Green kissed it, and then they kissed a little lower on their neck, and a little lower still, and Xela squirmed under Green’s body because that was, that was a lot more intense than they expected… 

Green kept going. Xela began to relax under their weight. It was nice, being so close to someone…

“Mhm? Not exciting enough for you?” Green mockingly whispered in Xela’s ear, causing a tingling through their entire head. 

“Wh—”

Green sharply bit down on their neck.

“GAHK!?”

Xela had never felt their mind completely shut down before. Still, when they attempted to form any sense of a coherent thought, their focus slipped away, overtaken by bliss. 

“Wow, that almost worked  _ too  _ well.” They were snapped back to reality by Green’s teasing. Not just… words, though. Touch. Down. On their skin. It burned, deliciously— Uh? 

It took Xela a few seconds to realize they were  _ entirely naked. _

Xela’s eyes widened at the revelation, something their captor seemed to revel in with a terrifying smile. What? When? They didn’t even— Were they  _ that _ distracted? 

“You love that, huh?” Green quickly ran their hand up their thigh to—

To Green’s delight, Xela moaned. They immediately flushed, taken off guard by how little self control they had. 

Green took their hand back to a less sensitive place, and Xela wasn’t sure if what they were feeling was relief or disappointment. 

Hands wandered up idly, like Green was trying Xela out, or playing a musical instrument. The drumming of their heart set the beat… a faster pace than they were certain was proper…

How deeply ingrained was “proper”, that they thought of it even in this situation? 

Their train of thought was interrupted by a warm, wet sensation on their neck that seemed to jolt all the nerves of the area. Xela couldn’t see it, but their brain dutifully supplied the mental image of Green kissing and licking them, and— yes, their organs were chaining backflips now, that was the only constatation possible when a needy whine escaped from between their lips.

Green raised their head to look at Xela. The Inversian wished they could hold them down, keep them there against their skin, but they were tied up and their captor was much too independent to let themself be controlled so easily.

“Do you want me to continue?” Green asked, and Xela managed to nod— they didn’t trust their voice not to sound husky. 

That glint in Green’s eye again, barely distinguishable in the low blue light. “I want you to say it.”

“Huh?” Xela’s brain capacity seemed reduced. Sluggish. The sentence took a second to properly register. “What?” How?

One of Green’s hands came to caress their face. “Tell me you want me to touch you. Tell me you want to be bitten and fucked like the little slut you are.” Their words were biting, too, but Green didn’t sound angry. It was greed rather than wrath.

“I—“ They could refuse. That was… demeaning, to say the least, and terrifying to admit. “I’m n—” But then Green would stop, stop touching them and holding them, maybe even throw them out into the freezing night. Somehow the former seemed worse. They needed—  _ craved— _

Was Green right? 

Words slipped out before Xela could think— needy and jumbled, and something obstructed their throat like guilt.

“Didn’t quite catch that.” Green smiled, pressing a little closer. Of course. “Now say it again. Slower, this time. Tell me you’re my slutty traitor.”

Traitor…

Were they a traitor?

Their actions had gone past necessity for survival a long time ago. And even if they hadn’t, being defiled by a magician had always been presented as a fate worse than death. Were they damned too? Could they go back anywhere after this? 

_ Did they even want to?  _

Their captor frowned, impatient.

“I… I’m—”

Green put a finger over their lips.

“Nope, you took too long. It’s fine…”

They shifted closer still, practically lying on top of Xela. So close that they could see nothing but Green’s eyes, colorless in the low illumination— brightened only by a fragment of cyan phosphorescence. 

“You’re lucky I found you.”

Their breath was too warm against Xela’s face. They could feel Green’s fingers slowly, softly stroking their side. Almost affectionately.

“Were you ever ... _ pleasured  _ before me? Let me guess, you were stuck doing the same thing, over and over, day after day—”

Green’s hand moved down, and their lips shifted into a kind-looking smile. “I’d bet this is the freest you’ve ever been.” Their fingers kept caressing, gentle, and Xela couldn’t help it— couldn’t help the wave of warmth that washed over them. A contented sigh graced their lips. 

“The happiest too,” Green continued, “Am I right?”

Green… Green wasn’t wrong. They couldn’t remember the last time someone had been willing to hold them. Perhaps, their parents, when they were a child, after a nightmare. Comfort was rare in Inverse— frowned upon, unnecessary. Weakness. And yet, Green gave it freely, didn’t they..? 

“I said,  **am I right** ?” Green’s nails dug into the skin of Xela’s shoulder, breaking their reverie. 

“Yes,” Xela answered automatically. Then they regretted it. Regretted being a cog in a machine again, even if this felt like a kinder one. 

“That’s the right answer.” Green’s aura of calm had come back, and a bit of the tension in the air had faded, so Green moved their hand back between Xela’s legs. They tensed, before remembering they were supposed to relax. So they did. They breathed deliberately slow, made sure to release the tension in their muscles. 

Green’s fingers started moving, and Xela wasn’t really sure how to handle themself— that… that was. Wow. Sensitive. Um. The noise they had just made wasn’t one they were proud of, but they couldn’t help themself. Green seemed happy with how they were reacting, but Xela felt claws dig into their skin somewhere else— Green’s other hand, on their shoulder— a little lower than before. They yelped, more surprised than hurt, and that one withdrew to pet their hair instead.

“Shhh. This is part of the fun.” Green’s voice had become oddly reassuring, and Xela couldn’t help but relax despite the stinging pain. Fun? Was it fun? It was almost...electric, sending sparks both inside and out. Was that “fun”?

Xela gifted a fleeting smile. 

...Green’s blush must have been a trick of the light. Right? Xela couldn’t exactly follow that train of thought, though. Green chose that exact moment to kiss them deeply again. They tried to focus on kissing back, because they were starting to figure out how Green was doing it, but the hand down between their legs kept going, and they found themself moaning against Green’s mouth instead. Their body was on fire… 

Another jerk up of Green’s fingers, deeper than before, sent sparks flying through Xela’s body. They jumped uncontrollably against their bindings.

“Impatient, aren’t you?” Green taunted, but their voice was lower than before. A little breathier. They didn’t sound patient, either. Xela realized suddenly that their bodies were flushed against one another— Green had finally gotten rid of the distance between them, which they had made sure to keep before. Being skin against skin felt… good. Very good. Electric. 

Green seemed to enjoy getting noise out of them. There was no other reason Xela’s heated mind could come up with, for why Green kept nipping at their skin, for why there were fingers rubbing at the most sensitive place they now knew they had. It wasn’t so bad. They were almost glad to sing—

Green’s body jerked against theirs, seeking contact. Green shared a few colorful expletives Xela had trouble following, and removed their hands to grasp at Xela’s hip instead. Oh. Uh?

—and then they let go of Xela entirely. Xela nearly cried out from disappointment, but a chorus of soft cussing from Green caused them to reconsider. What were they up to? With their arms restrained, Xela couldn’t prop themself on their elbow— they tried to raise their head, and— got an eyeful of something they hadn’t been prepared for. Oh.  _ Oh _ .

Green discarded their last piece of clothing on the floor, and quickly regained their composure, moving back to pin Xela. Xela did not regain their composure. But they tried, breathing deliberately slow with some difficulty.

“Do you even know what you want?” Green asked, now hovering above them again. They were breathing too fast; it made Xela feel a little bit better. “Because I do.” Green’s hand brushed hair out of Xela’s eyes.

But Xela  _ did  _ know what they wanted! They wanted  _ them.  _ Closer. They wanted to be held. They wanted—

“Let me show you,” they smiled, “alright?”

“Please.” Xela answered quickly. They weren’t completely sure of the details, but they did know  _ some _ things, dangit. And they also knew they wanted that something. Preferably now.

Green nodded, still grinning. “Do  _ not _ freak out. Relax and it won’t hurt.” 

Just relax. They could relax. Xela took a deep breath, but it did little to settle their nerves.

Xela could feel themself being shifted up higher by the hips. Their skin tingled when Green ran their hands up their side and kissed them one last time.

Another deep breath. This was happening. A torrential mix of unfamiliar emotions washed over them, relentless tidal wave in intensity. 

They could almost hear Green’s voice in their head, reminding them once more to just relax. Relax.  _ Relax and it won’t hurt. _ If they couldn’t relax would it hurt? They could trust Green’s word, right?

Xela’s mind almost seemed fevered, but they snapped back to reality when something pushed into them. It was...warm? They’d never felt anything like it before, and despite the reminders to relax, they instantly tensed up. Something in their subconscious wanted to resist, but an even greater part of them was just...excited. It felt… good. Weird, but good?

“Hey...” Green’s tone was a soft warning. “Does it hurt.”

“Uh? Ah. No.” Xela’s brain was a jumble, and their words fumbled on their tongue.

“Then breathe. Everything is fine.” Green waited until they’d taken a very deliberate breath to move again—  _ fuck _ . Xela didn’t expect them to not be  _ done— _

Green let them settle down, taking the opportunity to adjust their positions. Alright. Xela’s fear was slowly, slowly waning in favor of the fire in their veins; each of Green’s small adjustments stoked the flames. It was… it felt pretty damn great. Didn’t hurt. Was still scary. But it was getting less scary. It felt nice. The initial shock was wearing off, slowly but surely. 

“Okay, that’s enough.” Green kept a content tone, almost lighter than before, pulling out just a bit.

Enough? Was that it? Uh. Were they—

Green thrust into Xela again, causing them to yelp.

“Hey…hey.” They put a finger over their lips. “Do you want the gag back on, or are you going to behave?” 

“It won’t happen again,” Xela’s face flushed from… embarrassment?

Green leaned into them a little more, causing Xela to suppress a squeak.

“It better not.” Their tone was playful, almost like they didn’t  _ want  _ to be taken seriously. But that wasn’t something Xela could risk. 

Xela held their breath for another thrust. Electricity filled their body as they were jolted into instinctual motion. Again. And again and again. It became rhythmic. Xela tried to sync their breathing with Green’s, rising to meet their thrusts, moving along with them despite their restrained hands— they wanted to be closer, but they’d take what they had— the rhythm was chaotic, sending colorful sparks in their mind despite the pitch dark room and their closed eyes. 

Xela lost track of their breathing, their heartbeat— somehow Green’s seemed more real. They were pretty sure they were, they were saying something, but they had no idea what they were saying. Green made noise too, but they couldn’t seem to listen even though they heard it. They wanted, they wanted so badly to hold Green, to grip them close, to pull them along, just a bit...

Their hands were freed.

Their arms clasped onto Green, Xela could  _ hold them now _ — they held on harder than they thought they could, they were going to burst from all the things they were feelings, but they couldn’t make noise, they promised not to, _ but _ — 

Xela’s vision went white. They were quite certain they stopped simply existing for a moment, overcome by bliss. 

They tasted salt. It took them a moment to realize they’d bitten the closest thing to them— Green’s… shoulder? Oh. Um. At least they didn’t… scream, or anything…

They felt dazed and weightless, but their senses were coming back to them, awareness of their limbs returning in jolts and sparks. Green cussed in their ear, in a husky, hoarse way that told Xela they didn’t hate what was happening, and then they tensed against Xela’s body, trembling.

_ Oh— _

Xela laid back into the mattress, letting tension melt out of their limbs, trying to catch their breath— briefly met Green’s eyes. They were out of breath, too. All this time there’d been a distance to their motions, like the foreigner wanted to stay separate, way above them. Not anymore, even as they broke apart. 

Didn’t seem so high and mighty now. The bubbly, smug feeling tugged at Xela’s lips. 

Green closed their eyes, resting their forehead against Xela’s for a moment. It was sticky with sweat, and warm. Close. Moist air from Green’s gasps tickled Xela’s lips, tantalizingly near, and they flexed their fingers on Green’s back. 

Mmm. Xela could get used to this kind of thing. 

“What is your name?” Xela’s voice was a whisper. They didn’t want to break the quiet of the moment, but they were a little embarrassed that they’d forgotten to ask for that detail. It seemed so obvious. Wait… maybe their kidnapper wouldn’t tell them… all this had started because they didn’t want to be caught—

“Green.”

Xela’s eyelids fluttered open in surprise. “Green?” They’d heard that  _ exact _ sound somewhere, but couldn’t quite put their finger on it. Something they knew, definitely, but didn’t think of very often… Hmm… 

“It’s a color,” Green explained, sounding a tad annoyed. A color… right. Xela had learned some names of color in school. Green, uh. Named after a color? Their own name didn’t mean anything that they were aware of. It was just a name… 

They went on without prompting. “I’m Xela,” they said, but Green showed no sign of having heard. They moved to lean on their side instead of their arms, tugging both Xela and the blanket against them in the process. That was… kind of nice. Xela nuzzled against Green’s shoulder. Their head was still buzzing pleasantly. “Where did you come from? How far is it..?” 

“Go to sleep,” Green groaned. Oh. Okay. They could, hm. They could do that? Couldn’t they?

Xela’s mind raced despite their efforts to keep still. The heaves of Green’s chest slowed, but even with the agreeable soreness settling in their muscles, Xela still felt wide awake… 

Before they knew it, Green was snoring softly next to them, but... nope, they were still awake. This cold basement felt like a completely different world than the one they were used to, a surreal one, and now there was a restlessness walking around somewhere in their soul. One that’d woken up around the time they started thinking about going h… going back. 

This place… a freezing basement and a cold stranger made them feel more at home than their country ever had. 

...they sighed, and huddled closer. Green tensed. Oh no, had Xela woken them up? They backed away a little and squinted to check if Green’s eyes were open, but they… weren’t. They seemed to be in pain, though. Dreaming? A nightmare? That was so… human. Huh. 

They passed a hand through Green’s strange hair, seeking to soothe. It tickled their palm. Felt like a real plant, not like hair at all… fascinating. Were there more people with plant hair in other places? 

The petting seemed to help Green a little. The tense frown settled back into a neutral sleeping expression, and Xela’s chest lit up with a bubble of warmth and victory. Had they always been so starved for contact? ...maybe. Either way… closeness was nice. 

“Stop that.”

Xela froze. They withdrew their hand, sheepish. They expected admonishment, but… nothing came, even though they’d woken Green up. Was Green angry? They hadn’t threatened to throw Xela outside in the snow for a while… 

Green answered as if they had read Xela’s mind. “I’ll let you go home a couple hours before the sun rises. Just catch some sleep until then.” 

...so… so they were leaving them, then. Just… Xela was just going back to their life? Like nothing happened? 

They spoke without thinking. “Take me with you.”

“What?” Even in the dark Xela could tell Green was frowning. “No way.” It sounded almost funny, in their voice. Absurd, which was just as terrifying as Xela’s mind made these words out to be.

“I’ll help you! We can… we can…” They… they couldn’t bear to return to their old life. Not after this. Not because of Green, but because they could no longer deny how horrible this life was. They hadn’t realized how desperately they wanted to escape it before. They hadn’t allowed themself to. Feeling awful, day after day… they couldn’t bear it anymore, now that they knew there could be literally anything else. 

Green watched them cooly. Like they weren’t holding Xela closer than anyone else had before. Don’t beat around the bush, their eyes commanded. Say it.

“I want you to help me escape Inverse.”

It was absurd, of course, because this was the middle of the night in an abandoned basement, but the shadows seemed to snicker at this foolish idea. Forget Green— Xela was going to be imprisoned and killed for this, for daring to want to leave. For preferring the monsters to Inverse’s “paradise”. Even now, their eyes darted around the room, almost certain some authority had heard.

But still. They would do  _ anything _ to escape— 

“Nope,” Green smiled. “I didn’t come all this way— across oceans and mountains— just to help some random person leave. What would I get out of it?”

That… stung. Hurt. Even though they were being held close, Xela might as well be naked in the snow, with how cold these words were, but they weren’t one to give up so easily. “Well, what are you looking for? I can help you find it—”

“As if you could.” Green interrupted them with a finger on their lips. “This is a waste of time.”

Xela’s mouth clamped shut. They could feel Green’s over hand on their waist, clawing.

“You are getting on my last nerve. This was cute, at first— kind of novel, even. But I’m not in the business of  _ talking to insects _ .”

Xela hunched in on themself. Alright. They understood. 

“Go to sleep, twink.”

Tw— what. What was that word. What? Nevermind. Their mood was much more somber now, and they fell asleep soon after. 

They awoke cold, and alone. Green was already up, putting the last of their clothes back on. Xela was curled under the blanket, but that wasn’t enough to keep warm. That was probably what woke them up… 

“Up. Get dressed,” Green commanded, and Xela obeyed mechanically. There was a faucet that spit out cold but non-frozen water when the tap was turned, and they used that to do some essential washing up, even though they ended up in shivers.

The outside world was still dark, colder than they left it, Xela was certain. Green didn’t bother tying them up again, but they walked closely behind Xela, making sure to watch their movements. At least the sky had cleared. The stars twinkled, faintly visible underneath the blinding aurora lights… Twinkled? Hm. Green hadn’t meant to call them a star, they were almost sure. Unless they intended to send highly mixed signals. 

It took Xela a second to realize Green had stopped walking. They turned around. 

Green was transfixed by the skylight, naked eyes shimmering in reflection of the aurora. But they didn’t look like they found it beautiful. 

...then, they dropped their backpack on the ground. 

“Head to the eastern mountains. No matter what, keep heading towards the sunrise.” Green ruffled through the bag. What? “A lot of refugees sneak off the island that looks like a turtle. Avoid anyone you see until then.” What. “You can take my pack. Anything you need to survive will be there.” Why? 

“H-Hold on!” Xela called out, “You called me an insect. You got real awful! Now you’re giving me all your supplies, telling me how to escape? That makes no sense!” 

Green had taken out a single black and white hat from the bag. They were smiling, still, but it looked different from before. Confident, but… there was something off. Greater, perhaps. 

...they never did want to run away together, did they.

“Might as well not waste the supplies. After all— I’m not going to need it anymore.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
